Welp.... I Found a New Pass Time

First off, winter break is over, which means school is back in session and that means more blog post and the first one of the semester is writers choice which brings us to this point right here.

Okay so I started watching an anime called "March Comes in Like a Lion" over the break and I've enjoyed it so far because the plot is interesting plus I really like the art style. The plot follows Rei Kiriyama who is a professional Shogi player in high school. Now I'm not going to talk about the anime in this blog post but I totally recommend it. What I want to talk about is Shogi which is Japanese chess. Now the reason I picked it for my blog post is... well... I just think the game is interesting seeing how it's a strategy game that can take hours if both players are good and since I already like chess I thought it'd be fun to learn how to play this chess variant. I've played a few online matches with bots and I like it more than chess because the rules make it more tactical in my opinion. Speaking of rules I should probably tell you what they are but I only know the basics so this isn't a master guide to Shogi or anything. Shogi is has a 9 by 9 layout rather than the typical 8 by 8 layout of western chess. First I'll talk about the different pieces and how they move. Note you can move only one piece per turn. The Pawn can only move forward one step you have 9 Pawns to start. The Rook moves vertically or horizontally any distance and you have one Rook. The Bishop moves diagonally any distance and you have one. The Knight moves one step left or right and up two steps; you have two nights. The King moves one step in any direction. You only have one and the point of the game is to take the other King. Now Shogi has some pieces that Western chess doesn't. First, the Lance which moves forward any distance and you have two. Two Silver Generals which move one step forward or diagonally. Finally, the Gold General which moves one step per move any direction but diagonally backward. All pieces capture in the same way they move.
Alright, all the pieces are have been covered now we get into what makes Shogi so cool. In Shogi all  pieces except the King and Gold General can get promoted. The pieces that get promoted are able to move in different directions. The Pawn, Knight, Silver General, and Lance all get promoted to Gold Generals meaning they move the same as Gold Generals do. A promoted Rook has the same moves as a normal Rook plus he is able to move one step diagonally both forwards and backward. A promoted Bishop has the same moves as a normal Bishop plus can move any direction one step. Basically, they both become Kings along with their normal moves. To promote pieces they must enter the promotion zone which is the three rows furthest away from the player. Once promoted they stay promoted till captured. The other thing that makes Shogi cool is that the pieces you capture become yours to use. You can drop these pieces anywhere they can make a legal move. Pawns are the only exception, they must be dropped on a vertical row. So I hope the image below helps with all the moves and stuff. If you want to play use the same link as the image. I guess I'll apologize for nerding out but I find the game fun and think you should give it a few tries. Thanks for reading!!!

Screenshot was taken from
 https://japanesechess.org/shogi2014/ 

Semester Reflection

So yeah.... the first semester of my Junior year is over. I feel like I've grown more this semester than I did all of last year. I've also had lots of new experiences like visiting colleges and in the musical, I  was able to get a smaller lead with young Clyd. Another thing relating to music is my involvement with Arkhighs, which I have enjoyed a ton. Being able to sing to go to Butler for Show Choir Festival and just being able to learn more about my voice and own taste in music has been great and I can't wait for next semester's BVS. For me, high school sports sucked this semester because of my ankle and not making it to state. I'm super excited for track next semester seeing how I'm running 25 miles a week and I'm getting back down to normal times I feel like it's going to be a good track season for me and the distance team. As a student, I feel like this semester I was the most stressed out I have ever been thanks to AP Language and AP U.S History but I intend to stick both classes out through the second semester. Thanks to both classes I feel like I've improved when it comes to note-taking, annotating and just analyzing what's in front of me. Another thing that this semester has taught me is that I need to just go for things and stop hesitating. For example, I stopped worrying about what people would say about the songs I have been writing and I got great feedback and I know I'll keep writing more music and I would love to perform one of my own songs as soon as I get music to it of course. I think I might have matured this semester too. By which I mean I fill more ready right now than I ever have for next semester and after that. Though there are plenty of self-improvement I need to make. Most of them are small things like keeping a cool head when I get frustrated and not being so nosey. One of the bigger ones being I need to focus on what's right in front of me and what I can control. I look forward to next semester and hope it will improve me as much if not more than this semester. When I started this blog, in my mission statement I said I wanted to "be my best me" and I'm still not there and I doubt all be there at the end of next semester either because all learn about other things I need to improve on. I think we're always improving and I hope everyone has improved in different aspects of their life this semester and that they stick with the blog through the end of the year.

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Truth or Deceit: Which has a Greater Impact on Society?

A question like "Which has a greater impact on society, truth or deceit?" is rather vague but nonetheless easy to answer because obviously, deceit has way more impact than honesty.  I say this because people find it much easier to lie than, to tell the truth. The art of deceit is a powerful tool and if you master it you can fool even the most untrusting person. People are greedy and for many lying and manipulating is an important part of gaining more money, power, respect, etc. This mentality has had huge impacts on society. For example, the Watergate Scandal in 1972 in which some of  President Richard Nixon's Re-election committee members broke into the Democratic National Committee Watergate headquarters and tapped the phones and then stole important documents. After the connection to Nixon was revealed he resigned from office. Read more HERE. Another example of a President lying to the public comes from Ronald Reagan when he stated that "We did not- repeat-  did not trade weapons or anything else for hostages- Nor will we." This statement went against covert operations that had been going on for years prior to. Read more HERE.

Another reason deceit plays such an important role in our society is that it's one of the only things we see. The media controls what the public views as important and relevant, through the attention a topic gets.  The media focus on illegal drug abuse in the late 1900s and early 2000s caused the U.S. to lose billions in a hopeless war on drugs. As I learned in the Culture of Fear the real problem with drug abuse in the U.S is legal prescription drugs. I have learned lots about the media from the book the Culture of Fear. Some of it including their disregard for accurate information. One example from the book is a mass media story about Cindy Gracia a 10-year-old girl that was pregnant. In reality, she was 14 years old and her name was actually Adella Quintana. Like I stated earlier people want money and if a story is good and it will give them ratings they run with it as long as they can for a pretty penny. One thing that all Americans and all people do that makes deceit have more impact on society is the fact that we push our blame from one group to another and fix none of our problems. Liars, the misinformed, and the ignorant all contribute to the lack of truth that is available in our society. When it comes down to it we can't really be sure if lying is more powerful than the truth because it all depends on each person's perspective. We can for sure say that if we continue down a road where we lie to make further progress we will get to a breaking point. This breaking point is a social collapse. Once to this point were finished. The sad thing is we can already see it happening in the world today in both internal and external conflicts. Internal conflicts like the Charlotte Riot on September 20th, 2016 and Anti-Trump riots since his election. External conflicts like the war in Syria and Iraq or the unrest between the U.S and North Korea.

What I'm Thankful For

I hope that everyone's Thanksgiving was amazing and that they enjoyed the time with family. This post will cover only a few of the things I'm thankful for this year.

Family/Friends- 

 I am super thankful for all the family and friends I have for supporting me and just dealing with me on a day to day bases. More specifically I'm thankful for all my younger cousins, my nieces, and my nephews for letting me mess around with you and be a kid again. I love all of you guys and I don't know what I'd do without you. I am thankful that I have friends that worry about me when they don't have to and that they try their best to help me when I struggle with stuff. Thank you so much.

Music- 

 I've always loved music and it's a big part of who I am. I'm grateful that I get to be a part of our choir department and that I get to spend so much time doing what I enjoy with people I get along with. Since I have started writing lyrics I'm thankful for all the music artist have made because it influences me to write and I hope that I will continue to write and get feedback on this blog.

My Life- 

 This one is a really broad category and overlaps the other two but I have to say this in broad that I am grateful and thankful for the way my life is. I get to do things I enjoy and I never feel like I have no one or nothing. I have great friends and family and my life is relatively peaceful with drama here or there. I sometimes take this for granted and this year I really thought about It because my Thanksgiving was one of the best I've had in years.

Thanks for reading and I am now working on a third and the idea for a fourth is floating around in my head. All release the lyrics for the third one by next week. 

Second Song Draft: Killing Me Slowly

Alright. This is my second song and I'm hoping to get feedback like last time. I really appreciated all the comments I got on the last song so I wanted to post my second one the very next week so if this feels rushed that's my excuse but enjoy.

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You knew what would happen didn’t you, you could have stopped it all if you wanted to. (wanted to)

you had to much fun standing in the middle of our war but now it's either side that stands to lose because you couldn't choose.

You're playing with my heart baby can't you see.

Pull a string here, clip a string there, now I'm falling through thin air screaming I love you.

You make me want to stay while you're pushing me away, killing me slowly, killing me slowly.

You make me want to stay while I watch you walk away, killing me slowly, killing me slowly.

And it's not like you don’t want me, It's just that you don’t love me. Because if you did there'd be no need for him. But I’m just here to fill in the hole in your heart that he leaves never to be your one and only.

You’re playing with my heart baby can't you see.

Pull a string here, clip a string there, now I'm falling through thin air screaming I love you. (I love you)

You make me want to stay while you're pushing me away killing me slowly, killing me slowly.

You make me want to stay while I watch you walk away killing me slowly killing me slowly.

You’re killing me slowly killing me slowly and now I see I was never meant to play this game never meant to win the war….. The war called love.

First Song Draft: Shot In the Dark

https://www.googleplaymusicdesktopplayer.com/img/par1.jpg

          So this is one of the songs I've wanted to write. It's the first draft that I've shown anybody and as of now its just lyrics. I do have an idea of how I want to sing it but no music or anything like that. On that note, if anyone knows a good music maker app that's free please tell me in the comments. Also, I want your feedback so if you think it's bad to tell me why. If you think its good but think it needs something tell me. I welcome all feedback because that's the point of showing people a draft. 

I fell for you the moment I saw your eyes.

I couldn’t breathe I was paralyzed.

I didn’t know what to say but I knew that I couldn’t do nothing.

I wanted to get closer to you, so I decided to take a leap of faith; ask you your name, ask for your number and hope for the best….

I’m begging for things to be all right, I’m hoping to get through the way I’m feeling for you. And I’m praying for a time when you could be mine.

…. I took my shot shot shot in the dark, hoping everything wouldn't break apart. Cause I’m aiming straight for your heart and I hope I don’t miss because I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t see you.

Baby I know you won’t believe me when I say let me make, a shot in the dark.

Baby I don’t know what I’m feeling when I watch you walk away but if I let you go all regret it every single day... So turn around I’m begging you. Just give me a shot and all come through. I don't know if what I’m feeling is love but it’s not something I’m going to let go of.

I”ll take my shot shot shot in the dark hoping everything doesn’t fall apart. Cause I’m aiming straight for your heart. And I’m praying, and begging that I hit my mark. Cause I don’t know what I'd do if I… I don’t know what you’d do…. I fell for you and I’m still falling …. And I'm gonna take my, take my, gonna take my shot shot shot in the dark. Hope I don’t miss your heart; hope I leave a mark.

Cause I'm afraid of what I'd feel inside if I had to watch you walk away. Now it’s too late, the shots been fired, shots been fired now, shots been fired. Shots been fired away.

A Day In Fall: Morning to Night

All images obtained from either https://pixabay.com/ or https://unsplash.com/